Happily Ever After?
by CSIobsessed444
Summary: "Rafael was different than the guys at Columbia. He was smart and passionate and outspoken, almost like the guy she was supposed to meet. But he was also mature and wise and had these eyes that Gabriela couldn't tear herself away from. Even the lines on his face appealed to her." Chapter 11 is up!
1. They Met

Gabriela Martinez was late, and she was never late. For class, for student government meetings, for work, even for dinner plans. But this horrible graduation meeting, which was absolute chaos, ran over, and therefore was making her late. And not just for anything, for a date. There was this guy from work who had asked her for coffee, and then for another coffee, and then for drinks which led to a very intimate late night activity that were typical of a third date. And now, a fourth date for dinner at a new upscale bistro near school, for which she was running very late.

He was cute, non-descript, looked an awful lot like the other guys at Columbia. Preppy and clean cut and wore Sperrys all year round, but he seemed different. He was in her urban politics class and was very passionate about labor rights, as he had strong political ambitions. He spoke up and wasn't afraid to disagree and Gabriela liked that in a man. She liked a man who was brave.

As she raced around the corner and into the street, she remembered that she was on her way to a date and probably shouldn't be sweating so much. _Oh well, nothing I can do now._ She slowed down for a block and then quickened her pace again when she got near the restaurant. It was only March, so it wasn't nearly warm enough to justify the amount of sweating she was doing, but Gabriela tended to maintain a very quick pace. Intimidating, as her best friend described it, as if she was always five minutes late and thus didn't have time for your bullshit. But, Gabriela was never late. Almost.

She apparently wasn't the only one running late that day, as her date had not yet arrived when she walked into the restaurant. The hostess took her peacoat and walked her over to a table by the bar. Gabriela fanned out her blouse, long-sleeved and light pink, and straightened out her skirt and waited. She waited through two refills of water and two lemon drop martinis and through about 100 texts from her best friend asking how it was going. So when the waitress asked Gabriela to give up the table, as it seemed her date was not going to make an appearance, she simply moved to the bar and sat next to a man eating dinner by himself, buried in paperwork.

"Bartender," she called out. "I'll take another."

The bartender nodded and got to work on a third martini. The man sitting next to her looked over, just for brief moment, and then turned back to his paperwork, but not before sighing. Gabriela, in all of her infinite wisdom, had to engage the man.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me?" The man, turned, confused, and realized Gabriela was talking to him. He put his knife and fork down, removed the napkin from his lap, and turned to face her.

"Do you really think the third martini is going to make your date arrive any sooner?" Just as he finished speaking, her fresh cocktail was placed in front of her, and the bartender walked away to avoid getting dragged into whatever was about to happen.

"No, but it's going to make me feel better about being stood up." She took a drink and looked this man straight in the eye. He was cute, to be quite honest; fit with dark hair and sparkling eyes and features that were just striking to Gabriela now that she got a good look at him. Not to mention, the suspenders and pink tie were a bit of a turn on for her. "What's your excuse?"

He was taken aback at the complete stranger, no matter how pretty, criticized him. "Excuse me?"

"You're eating dinner alone, with scotch, on a Friday night in Harlem. You don't go to Columbia and I'm guess you don't work for them. So, what's your excuse?" She raised one eyebrow and leaned her elbow on the bar, resting her head in her hand.

The man swallowed, hard. "I have a big case load, plus all of my co-workers have significant others to go home to and Friday night is date night, so here I am."

Gabriela now felt intensely bad for making fun of this man. She suppressed it for now. "Well, a cute lawyer at the bar on a Friday night. I have to say, I'm surprised I'm the first one to talk to you."

The man blushed and looked away. "I'm not necessarily the most noticeable person in the room, because tonight I believe you hold that title." He finished his scotch and loosened his tie. "Plus, it's not often I'm approached by attractive women such as yourself."

Now it was Gabriela's turn to blush. "Oh, um, well thank you. My name is Gabriela, by the way." She stuck out her hand to shake, an action she immediately regretted, but wasn't going to back off of now.

The man shook her hand in return and grinned. "I'm Rafael. Nice to meet you, Gabriela."


	2. They Saw

After talking for a while, Gabriela finally relented and ordered dinner. A burger, not the sexiest or refined meal to eat in front of some new guy, but whatever. She was sort of drunk and quite hungry. Rafael ordered coffee and dessert, which meant Gabriela ended up stealing a few bites of his cheesecake. They were laughing and talking, and eventually she checked her watch and realized hours had gone by since she originally arrived for her non-date.

They talked about everything: politics, the environment, education, even popular culture. He talked about growing up in the Bronx and she with Queens. They both went to parochial schools and grew up with a strong sense of faith, as well as _abuelitas_ who instilled the fear of God into all. Their conversation even slipped into Spanish for a while. Hell, this felt more like a date than any of the date she had been on the other guy, the one she was supposed to meet whose name Gabriela couldn't even recall.

Rafael was different than the guys at Columbia. He was smart and passionate and outspoken, almost like the guy she was supposed to meet. But he was also mature and wise and had these eyes that Gabriela couldn't tear herself away from. Even the lines on his face appealed to her. Was there an obvious age difference? Hell yeah there was. Here she was, a Columbia senior, barely 22, spending all night talking to a man who was probably a few weeks away from his 40th birthday. Did she care? Not one bit.

"So Rafael," she asked as the bartender took away their plates, "You have been very kind all night."

He blushed and crossed his legs. "It's been easy with such pleasant company". He looked up and smiled at her and she just about melted.

Gabriela swore, everything he said made her smile or laugh. "Why would you spend all night talking to some drunk 22 year old who got stood up for a fourth date?"

Rafael uncrossed his legs and leaned his forearms on his legs, hands intertwined. "Because I think you can do better and I get what it's like to be stood up."

Gabriela nodded. "Fair enough. What do you mean, you think I can do better?"

"I think you can start dating guys who will actually show up when they say they're going to show up, unlike this loser who clearly didn't know what he was missing."

"So, guys like you, Rafael?"

Rafael blushed, looked at his watched and straightened his tie. "It's getting late, and I need to get going. Where should I walk you to?"

Gabriela nodded and stood up as Rafael put his coat on and paid his check. "Just over closer to campus would be great." The bartender came over and she signed for her bill as well.

They walked out of the restaurant, with the hostess handing Gabriela's coat to Rafael instead, winking at him as she did so. It was a cold March night, so Rafael helped Gabriela with her coat on before they started walking. "So, you don't date much, do you?"

"What makes you say that?" Rafael asked as they crossed the street.

"Just a hunch. The way you hold yourself, the compliments, the blushing. Don't get me wrong, I find it all very sweet, but still."

Rafael stopped and turned to look at Gabriela. "Look, I had a great time talking to you, Gabriela, I really did. But I don't think this should become anything more."

"Who said it was? Look, campus is only a few blocks away, I can walk from here." Gabriela turned away and started waking, only to stop when Rafael called her name. He jogged over to where she was standing, sounding breathy as he spoke (which Gabriela loved).

"Look, I'm sorry, I just ... you're right. It's been a while since I've dated, and so I don't really know what to distinguish or expect or whatnot."

"Hey, I totally get it, I was just making fun of you." She grinned at him and he gave her a half-amused look. "But I'm seriously okay walking from here, so how about a hug?" She opened her arms and waited for his response.

Rafael shrugged and gave a half-smile. _Sure, a hug can't hurt._ "Why not?" He went into Gabriela's embrace and wrapped his arms around her, hands falling on her back. She had one arm around him and one on his neck, slowly moving back and forth. It was driving Rafael crazy. After a few moments, they were still embracing, and Rafael realized how inappropriate this was, so he pulled away slightly. His hands fell on her hips, and he was mere inches away from her face. His breathing quickened and little Rafael noticed.

"Gabriela, you were drinking earlier, and.."

"That was hours ago, and I've eaten since then. I'm not worried."

Rafael started sweating, as her hand resting on his neck started drawing circles and he couldn't think straight. "What about the age difference?"

Gabriela chuckled before meeting Rafael's sparkling eyes. "I don't care, do you?"

Rafael kept looking into her eyes while he thought about it. "No," he eventually whispered. And with that answer, Rafael Barba slipped one hand into the woman's hair, secured the other hand on her hips, and went in for a kiss.


	3. The Next Morning

Rafael's head was swimming. Here he was, kissing this beautiful woman that he just met, outside of a restaurant in Harlem that he picked on a whim. What is life if not surprising and completely unpredictable?

He was sweating under his coat, but couldn't exactly take it off and put it down, nor would holding it work. Her nails raked down his spine and Rafael shivered deep within his core. He grazed her bottom lip with his teeth and she sighed into his mouth, causing Rafael great satisfaction.

Gabriela pulled back from the kiss, catching her breath. Her eyes darted across his face, trying to collect her thoughts. His hand untangled itself in her hair and moved to her check, and her bob fell perfectly back into place. "What is it?" He asked. "Do you want me to stop?"

Gabriela met his gaze and a wicked grin spread across her face. "No. Quite the opposite, actually. Your place or mine?"

The next morning, Gabriela woke up in a tangle of limbs. She pried one of her eyes open to see Rafael sound asleep as sunlight seeped through the curtains. She lingered for a moment, admiring his strong arm that held her close and the movement of his chest with each breath, before extracting herself from their entanglement, grabbing his shirt off of the floor and leaving the bedroom.

The sliding doors made more noise than she anticipated, so she paid extra attention to moving slowly and tip-toeing around. Wrapping herself in Rafael's shirt, she could still smell his cologne from last night and smiled at that fact as she re-discovered his apartment. Hardwood floors, huge windows, very carefully coordinated furniture that looked like it had never been used: this place was straight out of a pottery barn catalogue. The open layout mad it easy for her to wander from the living room to the dining area to the kitchen. She placed herself on a stool at the island counter and grabbed yesterday's paper. The front headline was about a rape case that had been all over the news: two girls were accusing their dance instructor and taking him to court. The article mention the ADA's name who was prosecuting the case a few times: Rafael Barba, Assistant District Attorney to the Special Victims Unit. Gabriela was surprised to see her one night stand's name on the front page of the newspaper, since she only knew his last name from catching a glimpse at his receipt from the restaurant last night. Maybe that was for a reason?

She read a few more pages before she heard the sliding doors open and Rafael emerged, rubbing his eyes and almost bumping into a coffee table in the living room. Gabriela smiled and put the newspaper down, turning to face him. "Morning, sunshine."

He turned to her and gave a slight smile. "Glad to see you didn't take off in the middle of the night. Coffee?" He walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee machine in strides, stopping briefly to place a kiss on her temple and graze his hand along her lower back.

"Sure. And if I did, then you'd be out of one hell of a shirt." He fished the french press out of the cabinet and two cups, and she watched his back muscles as he did so, causing a rumbling in her lower region.

He turned and gave her a once over. "It looks better on you anyways." A grin spread across his face as he went back to making their coffee, bringing the french press and cups over to the island. He poured the two cups of coffee and handed one to her.

"Thank you," she said as he leaned against the island next to her.

He watched her take a sip of the coffee, then lower the cup to the counter and stare at it. "How are you?"

She looked up at him and noticed how soft his expression was, even with sharp features. This was probably the nicest man she had been with in a really long time, if not ever, so she didn't want to screw it up. "I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm good. About last night, um..." He trailed off and took a sip of coffee while he planned his next words.

"It was really nice," she interjected, lowering her head to meet his gaze, "but I don't expect anything to come from it."

He looked up and placed his coffee on the island. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this can be a one-night stand and that's totally fine."

"Wow, that's very upfront of you."

"Yeah, well, it is what it is." She cleared her throat and focused her gaze on her coffee.

Rafael looked at this women and was sad for her, That she felt she had to concede herself, that she was so beautiful and charming and yet got stood up by some 22 year-old jerk. "And if I want to see you again?"

She looked up at him cautiously. "Even though I'm a 22 year old college senior and you're a much older, attractive lawyer in New York City?"

"Yes. I was thinking about the age difference last night."

"And?"

"Who cares? We're both consenting adults, which means there are no legal problems here, so the only conflict would be a moral one." He moved closer to her and rested his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb ever so gently. "And I would very much like to see you again."

Gabriela's eyes welled up a bit and she smiled like there was no tomorrow. "And I would like to see you again as well." She stood up and pressed their bodies together, grabbing his hips. Rafael grinned and went in for a kiss, which Gabriela eagerly met. The possibilities with the two of them were endless.


	4. A Week Later

It had been about a week and Gabriela was completely mesmerized. They had dinner every night, he was charming and kind and very good in bed, and she felt like the luckiest girl in New York City. The one that stood her up? She saw him in class and in the dining hall, but he never said a word. Well good riddance. She could clearly do better.

Friday night came once again and Rafael and her had dinner and theatre plans, some new musical on Broadway her theatre friends suggested. They were at dinner and the drinks had just arrived when Rafael's expression changed, from content to much more serious.

"Gabriela," he cleared his throat as he put his whiskey down.

She looked him straight in the eye and sat up. "Yes?" She was preparing for the worst: that she was too young, too much of an ingenue, too inexperienced, and he needed something different. She told herself she could handle it. In reality, she was falling for this man very quickly and would be more than upset about it. He treated her well: spent every night together, breakfast in the morning, always asked what she wanted, and was very considerate of her as a person, never mind a sex partner. Rafael was strong but gentle, kind but firm, thoughtful but not overly so. She took a breath and awaited his response.

"I have this benefit on Sunday night and otherwise I wouldn't go, as I'm not much of a party person, but the whole SVU crowd was going and I figured I would join in the festivities."

Gabriela stared at him, knowing where this story was going but enjoying the awkwardness of his question at the same time. "Okay, and?"

Rafael shuffled his feet awkwardly and took a a sip of his drink. "So I was wondering if you would like to be my date."

Gabriela smiled and leaned across the table, putting her hand under Rafael's chin. He looked up at her and she placed a soft kiss on his lips, lingering for a moment before sitting back in her seat and straightening her dress. "I would love to, except..."

Rafael's grin turned into a panicked look, and he cut her off. "Except what? Is this too soon? I'm happy to move at whatever pace you want to, Gabriela, I just..."

This time, Gabriela cut him off. "It's not that! If I thought things were going too fast or was uncomfortable, I would have said so." He looked up and a slight smile returned to his face. "Except I have a Columbia-related event that night. Some sort of political meet and greet."

Rafael sighed out of relief and took her hand. "Okay. Like I said, I don't want to take things too fast, or push you beyond your comfort level."

"I know. Like I said, I would have said something if I was uncomfortable or felt like things were going too fast. We're good." She grinned at him in the way that made his knees weak.

This time, it was Rafael who leaned over and planted this softest of kisses on Gabriela's lips, and when she opened her eyes, he swore they were softer than they were before; that she had stars in her eyes.

The waiter arrived with their meals and Rafael sat back in his seat across the table, moving his drink to make room. "So," he asked, "am I ever going to meet your friends?"

Gabriela laughed. "Do you really want to?"

"Not tonight, but maybe someday. Tonight, it is just me and you."

Gabriela blushed out of joy and turned her focus to her dinner. "Just me and you."

After dinner and coffee, Rafael and her wandered back to his apartment, taking their time to walk and kiss and stop to admire their beautiful city. Gabriela appreciated being with someone who loved New York City as much as she did. They walked through Central Park for a while, took a gander at the outside of MoMa, and even bought a hotdog off of a street vendor, or she did at least. Rafael turned his nose up at the idea.

Once back at his apartment, they plopped down on the couch and took a few minutes to catch their breath. Gabriela rested her head on his chest and Rafael loosened his tie.

"Do you want to put a movie on?" She asked.

"No", he murmured into her ear, playing with her hair in one hand, with the other on his knee.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" She asked.

"No, he whispered. She took his hand into hers and turned her head slightly, so she was looking at his lips. He placed his hand under her chin and moved her head over so slightly so her gaze matched his. "However, I am happy to do whatever you want to do, as I do not want to pressure you into doing anything."

Gabriela smiled, moved her hand onto his cheek, and said, "I want to," before capturing his lips with hers in a passionate kiss.


	5. Political Meet and Greet

It was the night of the political meet and greet, and Gabriela was dressed to the nines. The mayor, state senators, all sorts of people from different state and local government offices, and the student governments of Columbia, Barnard, Fordham, and CUNY were there. She actually wore her high school prom dress, a floor length navy blue gown with a silver one-strap, and her makeup was all done thanks to Maddie.

It was held at the New York Public Library, a super classy location that had been used for formal events before. There was champagne and fountains and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food and alcohol and decorations poured into this event. Everyone who was everyone was coming, and she had a hand in it all. Maddie was so proud it almost made Gabriela proud as well, but she was more nervous than anything else.

There was a large central staircase leading down into the main area, and while Gabriela was the first one there, she was also the last one out into the actual party, preferring to take car of things behind the scenes. Maddie came into the back to find her working out some issues with the kitchen staff.

"Gabby!" Maddie hissed. Gabriela quietly thanked the kitchen staff and walked over to Maddie by the door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just checking on some last minutes details, that's all."

"Come on, Gabby! It's a party, there's champagne, and plenty of cute gentlemen who know how to cover an affair."

Gabriela laughed at Maddie's proposition and swept a lock of hair away as her bracelets clinked together on her wrist. "You know me, I just need to check on everything before I can relax."

"I know, and it's the worst. Can you just give it a rest and come out with me?"

Gabriela sighed, looked around the kitchen, and then looked her best friend in the eye. "Okay."

Meabwhile, Rafael was adjusting his tie and eyeing everyone around him while he sipped champagne. He hated these political events, but Alex insisted he come, and even though they had a falling out during his campaign for mayor, Rafael still took the invite, even if he couldn't have Gabriela as his date.

Olivia was drinking with him at the bar, and drinking wine like it was water. He put his glad down and turned to face her. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him and finished her glass. "That all depends on your definition of okay."

Rafael gave her a sympathetic look and picked up his glass. "Try to drink some water tonight, okay?"

Olivia looked after him as he walked away and ordered another glass of wine.

Rafael walked over to Amanda and Nick, who were canoodling in the corner over champagne. Nick looked great in a suit and Amanda was radiating in her dress, so before he could interrupt, Rafael turned away and looked for someone else to talk to. The music was jazz, old but classy, and set the mood for an elegant but serious night.

He was still watching the crowd when Carisi wandered over, hair slicked back and terrible moustache ever-present. "Barba, you see this place? A little much, don't you think?"

"It's elegant, classy. Political," Rafael responded. He had no time for Carisi tonight.

"Yeah, whatever. Hey, any reason to get out of the office, right?" Carisi joked. Rafael gave him a side look and finished his drink. And with that, Carisi loosened his tie and wandered away. Not more than a minute passed before Fin came over, wearing dark glasses and an atrocious hat, in Rafael's opinion. "Yo, Barba, you fit right in with these cats."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult, but nevermind. By the way you're speaking, Detective, I'm guessing this is not quite your crowd." Rafael smiled and put his empty glass down on the nearest table.

"Yeah, not quite. You seen Liv?"

"Try the bar." Fin headed in her direction, patting Carisi on the back as he walked by.

The music swelled and Rafael turned to look at the staircase as a bunch of men in suits and a young woman in a long black dress came down. And then, out of that crowd, down the stairwell, walked a stunningly gorgeous woman in a navy blue dress whose smile radiated throughout the room.

It was Gabriela.


	6. A Cinderella Story

Gabriela reached the bottom of the stairs, and as soon as she saw Rafael, her smile widened and her long strides only put a few seconds between the initial spotting and her approaching him. Carisi had noticed Rafael's gaze and poked Fin, which made Olivia turn around, so half of SVU watched Barba light up as Gabriela walked over.

"Rafi," she said with delight. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Gabriela, what are you doing here?" He said, a mix of delighted and surprised.

"This is why I couldn't be your date. I helped organize this, it's sort of my event." She moved very close to him and whispered in his ear. "I'm glad you're here." He smiled to himself and whispered back, "I'm glad you're here too." Then, he cleared his throat and moved away slightly.

"What a strange, small world we live in," he replied as a waitress walked by and Gabriela grabbed two fresh champagne glasses off of the tray. She handed one to Rafael and held hers up. "Toast?"

Rafael smiled, toasted with Gabriela, and had barely taken a sip of champagne when he noticed half of SVU staring at them. The detectives began whispering to themselves, and Rafael cleared his throat. "So, um..."

Gabriela cut him off. "What's wrong? You never say um."

"Nothing," Rafael reassured her. "It's just that some of my colleagues are here and have noticed us and since they do not know a lot of my personal life, anyone they see me with becomes a spectacle to them."

"So they want to meet me?" Gabriela asked slyly.

"If you're up for it. Otherwise, I could just tell them to mind their own business."

Gabriela finished her drink, put the flute down, and linked her arm with Rafael's. "I'm up for it."

He was grinning ear to ear when they walked over to the SVU detectives, who were eyeing Gabriela with shock and disbelief. Rafael looked at her, and then back at his colleagues. "This is Gabriela. Gabriela, this is Detective Olivia Benson, Detective Fin Tutuola, and Detective Sonny Carisi." Olivia and Fin and her shook hands and exchanged hellos. Sonny threw his jacket over his shoulder with one hand, grabbed her hand with his other and placed his lips on her hand. "Madam."

Rafael cleared his throat and gave Carisi a death glare. "That's enough, Carisi."

He dropped her hand, grinned, walked over to a table and sat down. Gabriela commented off-hand, "I like that one." She giggled a little and bent her head to meet Rafael's gaze. "Hey," she said. He looked at her and his face softened. "Let's go sit." They and the other detectives walked over where Sonny was sitting with two other people, who introduced themselves as Detective Amanda Rollins and Detective Nick Amaro. This was still cocktail hour, so Gabriela had some time to sit and chat before she had to network.

"So, Gabriela," Amanda started, "Where are you from?"

"Queens. Astoria, to be exact. You?"

"Georgia. So what do you do?"

"Well, I'm about to graduate from Columbia, and then I will be attending law school in the fall."

Olivia and Amanda exchanged the briefest of glances. "Where are you going to law school, Gabriela? Olivia asked.

"Columbia. I got offers from other places, but I wanted to stay."

"So you're how old, exactly?" Amanda asked, quickly after Gabriela finished her answer.

"22."

At this point, Rafael jumped in, angry with the detective's behavior. "Detective, what is with the twenty questions?"

"Just trying to get to know her, Barba, relax." Amanda took a sip of her drink and crossed her arms.

"It's fine, Rafi." Gabriela reassured him.

"Rafi?" Sonny pipped in. "What is that, some kind of pet name?"

Rafael looked over and gave Sonny another death glare. Sonny said "okay" to himself and got up from the table.

At that point, Maddie came waltzing over with a glass of god-knows-what. Sonny and her locked eyes as they passed, Sonny giving his usual grin, and she turned her head as he walked away. "Gabby! I've been looking for you everywhere. You took off. Also, who is that and where can I get one?"

"Maddie, I'm trying to talk to real adults here, so could you, you know, not?"

At that exact moment, three college aged-gentlemen walked by, laughing, and stopped when they saw Gabriela and Maddie. "Hey, Cinderella!" One jeered. Gabriela initially looked at her feet. "All dressed up for the ball, are well?"

"Buzz off," Maddie bit. Gabriela looked up and looked the man in the face. "Can I help you?"

"I don't know, can you? Word on the street is our boy Joey couldn't exactly, you know, do the deed when you two went out. Never had that problem before."

"Alright that's enough. She stood up and walked around the table, standing defiantly in front of this guy while his two friends backed off. "Look, I know you think you're tough shit because your daddy has a fancy job, but your trust fund will only take you so far. So while you take an internship with some low-level politician and finish law school in the middle of our class, I will rise above and finish number one. When we're at our college reunion twenty years from now, you'll be some state representative, deputy mayor at most, and I, I will be running national campaigns, probably a few of my own. Your life will be unspectacular. Mine? The Spanish girl from Queens on a full ride to Columbia, connected with some of New York's most prominent politicians, off to law school? I will be spectacular."

The man took a hard swallow, and looked back at his friends, confused beyond belief. Gabriela straightened her pose and crossed her arms. "Anything else?"

The guy sneered to his friends, "cone on guys, let's go. Cinderella's throwing a fit," and walked off. Gabriela sat down in a huff and said to Maddie, "I swear I'm gonna kill those guys." Then she looked at her company and remembered. "And I just said that to a table full of cops. Awesome."

Rafael was both concerned and confused. "What was that all about?"

"There just these asshole guys from the Poli Sci department at Columbia. Don't worry about it."

"What does Cinderella mean?" Nick asked.

Gabriela sighed and looked away. You know the story of Cinderella. Going to the ball, dressing up, trying to fit in where she doesn't belong, since they're all royalty and she's just the help."

And at that moment, everyone at the table's heart broke. Gabriela cleared her throat and got up. "I need a drink," she said, before walking towards the bar, tears in her eyes.


	7. So We're Dating?

Gabriela finished her second shot of Quervo when Maddie walked over to the bar and sat next to her. Gabriela didn't look over, just flipped her glass and signaled the bartender for another.

"Really hitting the drinks tonight, aren't you?" Maddie remarked.

"Says the pot calling the kettle black."

"True, but I didn't organize this event."

Gabriela received her third drink and looked at Maddie. "You also didn't have your new - whatever Rafael is - sit through that embarrassment."

"True, I didn't."

Gabriela took a sip and put her drink down. "This sucks."

"I know. If he's half the person I think he is, he won't mind, and even better, he'll be outraged. I wouldn't worry about him. My question is, are you okay?"

Maddie snorted and downed the rest of her drink. "I always am."

At that moment, Sonny wandered over and drunkenly stumbled onto the two women, an arm around each. "Ladies," he said. "Why the long faces?"

"Not a good time," Maddie whispered to him, seeing Gabriela's growing frustration. Her eyes flitted from Sonny to her friend and back. She decided to give her friend space and get this guy out of her face. "Why don't we go dance? Sonny, right?"

"Definitely. You coming, doll?" Sonny slurred as he threw an arm over Maddie.

"Nah, just leave her alone. Let's go!" She touched Maddie's arm and whispered, "call me," as she and Sonny walked away.

Gabriela ordered a glass of water and hunched her shoulders more, trying to decide whether she should go back to the group and reclaim her dignity or just throw in the towel and call it a night. Staying at the bar was also an option, albeit an unprofessional one, but who cares. She was a senior in college and nobody was paying attention to her anyways.

Rafael had been waiting to see if she needed alone time or had just gone to the bathroom, so when Gabriela didn't come back after a few minutes, he went to look for her. He looked on the dance floor, in the kitchen, the bathroom (which means he waited outside for a minute before feeling too creepy and leaving), and any other nooks and crannies he could think of. He finally bumped into Sonny, drunker than he should be, and Gabriela's friend, who pointed him in the direction of the bar. _Of course, why didn't I look there first?_

He approached Gabriela and stood behind her awkwardly, not knowing quite what to do. "Hey there," he said before clearing his throat. She turned around and rested her head on her hand. "Hey," she whispered.

"Those guys are the school-yard bullies all grown up," he tried to reassure her.

"I know."

":And you're right, they're going to amount to nothing."

"I know. Doesn't mean their words don't hurt."

"True, true." He sat next to her and placed his left hand on her cheek. Rafael wasn't really the nurturing type, but he really liked this woman, so he was willing to try. He also had the awkward conversation that many people who start seeing each other restlessly rattling around in his mind, but this wasn't the time to bring it up. Or was it?

Rafael cleared his throat and folded his hands in his lap. "So I have a question for you, but I don't know when a good time to bring it up is."

"Go for it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Rafael cleared his throat and looked away towards the dance floor. "What are we? I mean, what would you call this?"

Gabriela shrugged her shoulders and shifted in her chair to face the dance crowd. "We're dating."

Rafael looked at Gabriela, surprised. "Really?"

"I guess. I mean, what would you call it?"

"No, no, that sounds good to me. I'm just surprised young people still use that phrase today."

"Okay first off, you're not that much older than me. And second, not a lot of people do, but I do. I'm old-fashioned."

Rafael smiled at turned towards her, leaning forward in his seat. "Okay. we're dating. So, who do you want to meet here?"

"Ooo, I don't know. Now that I'm dating someone with connections, I suppose I can meet important people."

"The mayor is over there and I know for a fact that he knows who I am."

"Really? The mayor? I mean I'm psyched, but I reek of Quervo."

"So do half the people in the room. You'll be fine." Rafael pulled Gabriela out of her seat, and guided her over to meet the mayor, hand on the small of her back, walking right past Sonny and Maddie getting cozy without either noticing.


	8. An Attack Most Foul

The morning after the politican mixer, Gabriela and Rafael were lying in bed barely awake as the sun started to peak over the Manhattan skyline. Rafael was stroking her hair as she rested her head on his chest.

"Hey," she croaked out, using her voice for the first time that morning.

"Hey," he whispered back, kissing the top of her head. "What's on the docket for today?"

"I have one class in the afternoon but that's it. You?"

"The usual. All of my open cases need to be tended to, of course, plus anything that popped up yesterday night." He looked down at her and desperately in that moment wished he could play hookey and take the day off. Or at least the morning. With his free hand, he hooked his index and middle fingers under her chin and adjusted her gaze so that she was looking at him. "Are you okay, after last night?"

She appreciated how sweet he was, genuinely, but she was also fucking sick of talking about it. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just want to put it behind me and move on."

"Okay." That was a clear sign not to press the issue and he took it. He ran his thumb over her lips and leaned down. Kissing her was the best wake-up call he could ask for.

After a few more minutes of snuggling, Rafael got up to take a shower. Gabriela checked her phone and saw a message from Maddie: **you'll never believe what I did last night. or who I did ;) call me!**

"Hey, I think my friend slept with one of your detectives last night," she yelled out to Rafael from the bedroom. He opened the shower door and asked, "what did you say?"

Gabriela put her phone down, walked into the bathroom and began removing her pajamas, which was basically one of his t-shirts and underwear at this point. "I said I think Maddie slept with one of your detectives last night. The tall, blonde one."

"Sonny? Where did you get that from?"

"She tries to be coy and I play along, but it's pretty obvious. They were all over each other last night." Gabriela stepped into the shower and tried to wet her hair while Rafael maneuvered around her for shampoo.

"Must have missed it. Now I have to go to work, so I can't fool around this morning, okay?"

"Oh yes, counselor," she teased, "I will be all business." She couldn't help but laugh at her own stupid joke and he pulled her into a kiss, half to shut her up and half because he really didn't want to get out of the shower just yet.

A month went by pretty uneventfully. Before Gabriela knew it, it was May 1st and graduation was ten days away. Her and Rafael were having the best time together: drinks after work, runs in the park, him introducing her to all sorts of political bigwigs, her making dinner at midnight so he wouldn't eat takeout for the hundredth night in a row. Maddie made fun of her, but Gabriela was really falling for this guy. And she hoped he was falling for her too.

That night, her and Maddie were going out to a bar where all of the seniors were going to be drinking, as sort of one last hurrah. It was the kickoff to senior week, which were a series of events organized by student government (aka Gabriela) for seniors to reminisce and bond and get drunk over before graduation. There was a scavenger hunt and a bar crawl and all sorts of other events, but tonight was a simple meet and greet, or meet and drink rather. It was a couple of blocks from school, pretty close by Manhattan standards, and she and Maddie showed up right before the festivities began. Gabriela had no energy to put up with these jerks any longer, especially because she would probably never see most of them again.

They grabbed a table in the corner near the door, so as to greet people on the way in and then make an easy break. The senior class president, Brad, stood on the bar and hoisted his glass in the air for a toast.

"Seniors! Welcome to the official kickoff of senior week 2015!" People cheered and yelled and banged on their glasses. "Now, before we get too drunk, I gotta give a shoutout to my girl, the one who really put all of this together, Gabby, our student gov president! Where's she at?" People cheered and she gave a little wave to Brad, then picked up her drink and chugged.

"Alright, well, I see Gabby has already started celebrating, so let senior week begin!"

A couple of hours went by and everyone was having a blast. There were shot contests and darts and dancing, all of which Gabriela participated in. Maddie was flirting with the bartender and it was looking like she might actually go home with him. Eventually, nature kicked in, and Gabriela fought her way through the crowd towards the bathroom. Maddie saw her and followed suit.

"Man, you sure know how to throw a party," Maddie remarked once they were in the bathroom.

"Thanks. You look like you're having fun. That bartender's cute." Gabriela said from inside the stall.

"Yeah he is. I'm still sort of seeing that detective though. Should I feel bad?"

"Nah. You're a single woman with nothing to lose." The toilet flushed and Gabriela emerged. "I say, go for it."

"Hm. Thanks, Gabs." Maddie started re-applying lipstick and Gabriela was washing her hands when they heard a groan from the handicap stall at the end of the row of stalls. The women looked at each other, and then at the stall. Gabriela dried her hands on her dress and walked over, with Maddie quickly following behind. Very slowly, Gabriela pried open the door to see one of their classmates lying on the floor with blood spilling out of his mouth. He had stab wounds in his stomach and crotch region.

"Oh my god," Maddie gasped. Gabriela immediately pulled her phone out of her purse and called 911. "Hello? Yes, there's been an attack. We need an ambulance."

"What do you think happened?" Maddie asked.

Gabriela turned her head. "I don't know but I don't think it was an accident. I think someone did this on purpose."


	9. A Bar Fight

Soon the bar was swarming with cops, and all of Gabriela's friends were being questioned. Nick and Amanda walked in first and gave Gabriela a little wave before heading to the bathroom, now the crime scene. She had already talked to the paramedics and two unis, who were now questioning Maddie. Sonny followed Nick and Amanda in, nodded at Gabriela, but moved towards Maddie and dismissed the two uniforms. She watched as Sonny put his hand on her arm, and as Maddie whispered into his ear with a salacious grin.

The guy from the bathroom was wheeled out on a stretcher by two paramedics with a third and Amanda following behind. Gabriela stopped the third paramedic. "Excuse me," she said. "Is he going to be okay?"

"We'll have to see. He lost a lot of blood, but he's lucky you found him when you did."

"Okay. Thanks," Gabriela said as the paramedic walked away. She turned around to see Rafael barging through the door and subsequent crowd. For a not-tall man, he had a fairly large stride, and the fact that he always walked as if he was five minutes late certainly helped. He went from the door to Gabriela's side in less than a minute and had to physically stop himself from pulling her into an embrace. Instead, he went into overly-professional/ADA on a warpath mode.

"What happened?" He asked in his most concerned voice.

"I just walked into the bathroom with Maddie and we heard some moaning from a stall so I opened the door and he was just lying there."

"Did you see him go into the bathroom?"

"No."

"Did you see anyone else go into the bathroom?"

"No? I'm not sure."

At that moment, Brad came over and put his arm around Gabriela. "How ya doing, Gabs? You holding up?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm all good. Sucks the party got busted. I really hope that guy makes it. I heard they cut his dick off."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Rafael interrupted.

"Rafi, it's fine. This is Brad, he's a friend from school."

"Rafi?" Brad inquired. "Gabs, you know this guy?"

"Yes, I do, Brad. Is it cool if we talk later?"

"Totally, girl. You have my number, hit me up anytime." He pecked Gabriela on the cheek and walked over to talk to Maddie.

"What was that?" Rafael asked, a mix of jealous and annoyed. He watched Brad walk over and start whispering to Maddie, interrupting her and Sonny's conversation.

"That's Brad, he's the senior class president. We've been friends since freshman year. Rafi," she paused briefly to touch his arm and re-gain his attention, "you have nothing to worry about."

"Really? Because it seems like you two are more than friends."

"He's like that with everyone."

"So you two never hooked up?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A valid one. You've never slept with that guy?"

"No, and I'm offended you asked. We went on one date freshman year, I found out he still had a girlfriend back home, and we didn't go out again. That's the whole story. But I seriously cannot believe you would be so insensitive."

"Okay, I am sorry. Really. But - "

Rafael was cut off by the sound of glass smashing. He turned and saw Sonny and the bartender getting into a fight with Maddie between them, trying to break it up.

"Damn it, Maddie," Gabriela whispered as the yelling intensified from all three parties. The entire bar was watching the fight.

"What is that about?"

"Oh, Maddie's been seeing Sonny but she was flirting with the bartender all night, and I think she was going to go home with him."

Suddenly, the bartender punched Sonny in the face and he stumbled backwards. Maddie turned towards him to try and helped, but Sonny lunged forward immediately and tackled the bartender, throwing him on top of the bar.

"Wow, he's pretty strong for being the same size as a toothpick," Maddie commented. Rafael winced at this comment, again out of jealousy.

The bartender rolled off of the bar and rammed into Sonny, knocking both of them over, while Maddie screamed at the two of them. Sonny got up, spit on the ground, and walked out the door of the bar. Maddie chased after him, leaving the bartender on the ground by himself.

"Huh, the whole fight she was trying to help Sonny but not the bartender."

"Maybe Maddie has stronger feelings for him than she realizes." Rafael looked on as Gabriela also went outside, presumably rushing to Maddie's side. He then turned and finally went to the crime scene, where Nick had probably been waiting too long for him to start doing his job.


	10. Falling For You

Rafael wasn't one for big romantic gestures. He was much more subtle, more reserved, when it came to his personal life and especially his romantic relationships. But, with Gabriela, he could tell he needed to apologize, and she was much more openly romantic than him, so he needed to take a page from her book.

They normally hung out on Sunday nights, but she was still annoyed at him from their fight in the bar, so they hadn't made plans to hang out tonight. Rafael decided this was perfect for a surprise apology.

He bought a dozen red roses and put on a tie of his she loved, the one he wore the night they first met, and made his way over to her apartment. Walking past Central Park, Rafael reflected on their relationship. They were at completely different places in life, but he couldn't ignore how connected they were. Their habits were so similar, their likes and dislikes. He preferred making coffee for two as opposed to making coffee just for himself. His bed was more welcoming with her in it, his laugh was bigger when she made jokes, his kisses were more passionate with her. He had been in love before, and he had many relationships before, but this girl was different. She put a skip in his step, a twinkle in his eye. Rafael felt like he had been at an impasse before, a standstill: working nonstop, no time for friends outside of the squad, no time to reconnect with his culture or roots. Gabriela changed that.

He thought it was time she knew all of that.

Rafael pushed the button next to Gabriela's name outside of her building. "Who is it?" She asked through the speaker system.

"It's Rafi. Can I come upstairs? I'd like to talk to you." A few seconds passed by and Rafael was sweating under his suit coat.

"Okay," she finally replied, and the door buzzed.

Rafael took the elevator to her floor and walked down the hallway of her building. Gabriela was waiting at the door in her pajamas, which now consisted of a Harvard shirt borrowed from Rafi and pajama shorts.

"I feel underdressed," she joked.

"I was going to call, but I thought this would be more romantic, spontaneous." He cleared his throat and presented the bouquet. "For you."

Gabriela took the flowers and smelled them, bringing a smile to her face. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Rafael shuffled his feet and put his hands into his pockets. He practiced on the way over, but all of the brilliant oratory he thought of was escaping him in the heat of the moment. "Look, I know we've only been dating for what five? Six weeks?"

"About." Gabriela leaned against the door frame.

"And I know that's not very long in the grand scheme of things, but in that time, I feel like we've gotten to know each other pretty well."

"I agree."

"I feel very connected to you, very - invested in this continuing."

"Okay."

"I'm falling in love with you," he blurted out. This was not going very well and Rafael was chastising himself in his head over and over again when Gabriela stepped forward and placed the softest of kisses on his lips. It was sweet, loving, tender. She pulled away, looked down at her flowers in her hand, and met Rafael's gaze. "I'm falling for you too," she smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Are you surprised?"

"No? Well, maybe a little. It feels very soon to be saying all of this."

"I think all of that is stupid - wait this long to call them, wait this long to sleep with them, wait this long to say it. I don't care to follow other people's ideas of what I should and shouldn't do. I go with my gut."

Rafael waved one of his hands through her hair. "I like that about you." And he really meant it. Rafael was a very rules oriented person. Sure, he trusted his gut, as all lawyers and cops do, but he was also very careful about playing by the rules. Then again, rules were made to be broken. "Also, I am sorry about what I said in the bar. It was mean and petty and unnecessary. To be honest, I might have gotten a little jealous."

"Jealous? Of Brad? Why?"

"You go to school together, you have friends in common."

"So? That doesn't mean anything."

"He's more age-appropriate for you. There's a lot that comes with an age difference in a relationship. Different friends, different hangout spots, different values. I saw him, the way he talked to you, and I got nervous."

"We've talked about this before, remember? That night we met, I asked you about the age difference, and you said you didn't care. And then the morning after, you said the only conflict would be a moral one, and you said who cares."

Rafael was surprised she remembered. "You have a very good memory. It's a lot easier to talk the talk than walk the walk, especially when I wasn't sure I would see you again."

Gabriela laughed a little and used her free hand to stroke his cheek, to stroke the worry away. "Rafi, I like you for you. And yes, I am aware of how old you are, but I am more interested in your character, and that I absolutely adore."

"Oh, so you adore me now?" He teased her, raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up. Besides, you're the one who's falling in love with me." She teased back.

He moved his hands to her hips and guided her so that her back was against the wall next to her apartment door. She wrapped her arms around his neck, still holding the bouquet of flowers. Rafael put his lips next to her ear.

"Yes, yes I am." He kissed her neck as she giggled and sighed. "Do you want to come inside?" She asked as he moved to the other side of her neck.

Rafael broke contact and stood up straight again. "Absolutely," he grinned. Gabriela used her free hand to grab his tie and guide him into her apartment, and Rafael kicked the door closed.


	11. Celebration

Rafael was sweating, which was insane for May 11th. Yet here he was, sitting outside on Columbia's lawn, with the sun beating down. Gabriela was graduating from Columbia today, and seven weeks ago, Rafael never imagined himself attending graduation, or dating one of he graduates, or being here with Sonny of all people. But then, he met a girl in a bar, and everything changed.

"That poor kid should have been walking with them today if somebody hadn't cut his boys off," Sonny commented. Him and Gabriela's friend were going steady, a phrase which Rafael was embarrassed he used even if he didn't say it out loud. Since both were obviously not going to sit with their partner's family, it made since that the two would sit together. Rafael wasn't unconvinced he might kill Sonny during the ceremony. Of course, the two dressed in completely polar opposite attire: Rafael in a full suit, the coat slung over the back of the chair, and Sonny in jeans and a polo shirt. This was a look Rafael had never seen from Sonny, but it was a weekend and his day off, so he didn't exactly have to dress to impress. Rafael, on the other hand, chose to do exactly that.

"Detective, do you really think this is the best time to talk about a case, especially one so sensitive to the crowd around us?"

"Sorry. Just thinking out loud. You really gonna call me detective?"

"Would you rather I call you Dominic? or maybe Junior would be more suitable?"

"Hey, alright, counselor. Detective will work just fine."

The names were being called out painstakingly slowly and Rafael didn't know how much more of this he could take. Also, the flowers he brought for her were sure to wilt in this heat. The speaker was a big film director with generic, nondescript advice, and the students who spoke were abysmal, except for Gabriela's speech, which was quite good. Not like he was biased towards his girlfriend or anything. Not like he listened to her practice it over and over again, pacing back and forth in his apartment.

Finally, Gabriela's name was called, and she walked across the stage, beaming with pride as she shook the president of the college's hand and took her degree. Rafael and Sonny stood up and clapped, and Rafael couldn't be more proud of his girlfriend. Also, he was no longer dating a college student, which put him at ease.

After all of the names were called, the graduates descended onto the lawn to celebrate with friends and family. Rafael stayed on the fringe of the crowd, feeling very old compared to all of the kids running around, newly graduated college. Sonny was much closer to their age than he was, and even he seemed to be out of place.

"Hey! There she is. Gabriela Martinez, college graduate." Sonny congratulated as Gabriela approached the two men. "Congrats, kid."

Thanks, Sonny. Hey, Maddie's just over there with her sorority sisters." Gabriela offered as Rafael wrapped an arm around her and Gabriela reciprocated.

"Why don't you go find her, detective?" Rafael asked, looking at Gabriela as he spoke.

"Yeah, alright, alright, I get the message. I'll see you two lovebirds later." Sonny said as he walked away.

"Congratulations," Rafael said to her. He handed her the flowers and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "Sorry you had to sit through that whole thing."

"Don't be sorry. I wanted to," he reassured her. "Also, your speech was excellent."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could have, and you practically did. I just made sure you ate and slept."

"Well thank you for that," Gabriela laughed and kissed him on the lips, a big smile still on her face.

He pulled away with a smile that wouldn't quit and placed his free hand on her cheek. "So, what are you doing the rest of the day? I thought if you wanted to escape from forced family time, we could go out to dinner."

"There's a big family dinner that my parents are throwing as a celebration. You should come."

"Really?"

"I was going to invite you earlier but I didn't know how you felt about meeting the parents and whatnot. Also, you're a workaholic, so it's not an unfounded assumption that you'd be busy."

Rafael chuckled. "Fair enough. I'm just glad you're not avoiding the meeting of the parents, as many a couple do when they're not sure they're going to last or are embarrassed by their partner."

"I think we are clearly beyond that. So? Do you want to come?"

Rafael thought about it for a minute. "I'm going to tentatively say yes, but I might get called into work and have to leave."

"That's fine. So, let's go make the introduction."

Rafael and Gabriela walked over, hand in hand, to a group of people of all ages gathered together with flowers and balloons. A middle aged woman and man broke out of the group and met Gabriela and Rafael a few yards away.

"Mami, papi, this is my boyfriend, Rafael."

The term boyfriend made Rafael even happier. It just felt so fitting. _Boyfriend_ , he played it in his head over again. "Nice to meet you," he greeted as he shook her mother's and father's hands respectively.

"Rafael, come and meet the rest of the family," her father insisted. He lead Rafael over to the larger group of people, who welcomed him with open arms, while Gabriela and her mother followed suit, giggling and whispering. She held up her degree and her family cheered, as did Rafael.


	12. A Change Is Gonna Come

"Is this really happening? Are we actually done for the night?" Rollins asked.

"Don't jinx it. Just keep your mouth shut and get out of here," Fin suggested.

The team had a hell of a week: new cases were coming in to the squad left and right and they weren't easy. Some with heaping amounts of evidence to sift through, but unfortunately, many of the cases had minimal or no evidence at all. The detectives were working all hours of the night with very little sleep, but tonight, Saturday night, Olivia was setting them free for the next thirty-six hours to rest up and maybe have personal lives.

Olivia walked out of her office, confident and happy. "That's it, folks. Go home, go to sleep, go spend time with your families. We're done."

Rollins and Fin looked at each other and practically leaped out of their seats. Sonny gave a shrug and finished his coffee. Nick remained at his desk, typing on his computer with fervor.

"Nick," Rollins asked with a quizzical expression, "we're done. Let's go."

"Nah, I'm gonna stay. Got some calls to make," Nick said as he picked up the phone.

"Not gonna happen Nick," Olivia directed, taking the phone out of his hand and putting it down. "You're done. Let's go."

"Where are we going, boss?" Sonny asked, still seated as his desk.

"I am going to buy all of you a drink. Come on, Barba's meeting us there." Olivia gestured as she walked out of the squad room and towards the elevators.

"Barba's going out? On a Saturday night?" Sonny asked out of disbelief.

"Yeah, pretty sure he has a life too, Sonny." Rollins commented. She and Sonny exchanged a look as Nick wandered behind.

The detectives met their ADA at a hip bar in Harlem, close to Columbia. Gabriela planned on stopping by at some point in the night, possibly between work and her own plans. Truth be told, Rafael wouldn't mind if she didn't. They had been spending a lot of time together lately and he was ready for a night out with friends.

Once everyone ordered and grabbed a table, the detectives were having a grand old time. They were joking around, laughing and yelling and some friendly arm punching on Rollin's part. Tradable loosened his tie and Sonny actually stopped talking about work for once. Amanda and Nick were going through a rough patch, but seemed to put on a happy act for the night. Olivia and Fin even got up to dance! It was the last time they would all be this happy for a while.

After about an hour, the bar was absolutely packed. So packed that nobody noticed three guys in street clothes with guns walk in and ordered a round of shots. Once each of the men had a drink, they pulled their guns out and started shooting.


End file.
